Brandmerry Blog Archives
Part Two: My Top Tools For My Business That Allow Me to Automate More and Work Less
PART TWO: MY TOP TOOLS FOR MY BUSINESS THAT ALLOW ME TO AUTOMATE MORE AND WORK LESS
I'm all about being able to work from wherever - in fact since launching my business I've been able to travel to Europe and California all while still being able to run my business from afar.
In fact location freedom is just the third part of the Freedom Trifecta (copyright coming soon ;)) When you have all these pieces: Time Freedom, Location Freedom and Financial Freedom, you are golden.
One of the key pieces to achieve location freedom is automation! Today I'm excited to share with your Part Two of My Top Tools For My Business That Allow Me to Automate More and Work Less. (Did you miss Part One? Check it out here)
**Disclaimer: I've marked the tools that I am an affiliate for with a little *, so I can be super transparent with all of you. However, I totally use these tools for my own business and love them, hence why I'm an affiliate.
Ok, now on to the tools!
later - INSTAGRAM SCHEDULING
Although there isn't a tool out there that allows you to post directly to Instagram, I love Later's simplicity and ability to schedule all of my content ahead of time. Later also has an amazing tool that allows you to rearrange photos based on how you would like your feed to look and feel and also do a simple search to find photos to share. When it's time to post, I get a notification on my phone and simply paste the description right into Instagram - easy!
Google Drive - client folders, content and trainings
Google Drive is my saving grace! I love using it as a place to store all my content as well as keep private client folders for each of my clients audio recordings, worksheets and in-between session work. My favorite part of Google Drive is that I can access my materials from anywhere making it easier than ever to travel and work :)
Canva - branded content
Oh I love me some Canva. It is such an amazing resource for creating all your branded material to get visible online. In terms of automation, I love to make templates for my Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube channel, making it easier than ever to change out the photo and text. I personally use Canva for work in order to keep all my branding materials in one place and easy to access.
ACUITY SCHEDULING** - SCHEDULING
Acuity has been a saving grace for my automation process, because it allows me to bulk schedule my coaching clients, create client profiles for easy scheduling and allows my clients to reschedule themselves. I also love that it is easily integrated with Squarespace (another favorite business resource of mine) and gives you the option to take payment when someone schedules. Since switching to Acuity it has saved me almost 2 hours a week and it's only $10 to start!
Michelle Knight is a Branding and Business coach for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to gain visibility and traction to take their business to the next level. She works with her clients to dive deep into their story so they can create a brand and message that positions them as an expert and allows them to create their desired income to free up time in their schedule for what matters most. Learn more >>
Four Steps to Create Your Next Free Offer (and Grow Your List)
FOUR STEPS TO CREATE YOUR NEXT FREE OFFER (AND GROW YOUR LIST)
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
This is a topic near and dear to my heart because I've been on the journey of free offers from the beginning. I've offered quite a few different options and while each one grew my list by a little none of them really converted well.
Finally, I took a step back and realized I was missing four key steps when creating my free offer that would convert like crazy.
Now I have free offers delivered daily into hundreds of email inboxes, FB ads converting at $2.00 a piece to a cold audience and funnels converting into $4k clients.
Every time I create a free offer I use these four steps and it makes the creation process so much easier. Today on the blog I'm sharing
The Four Steps to Create Your Next Free Offer (and Grow Your List)
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
Meet michelle
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
I'M MICHELLE KNIGHT
I was just a new mom with an ambitious dream to start my own business. That dream turned into a multiple 6-figure business and the ability to travel full time. Now, I teach women how to brand and market their authentic voice online and take bold action to create a life better than their dreams.
MAIN CATEGORIES
TOOLS I LOVE
KAJABI
Grab a 30-day trial of Kajabi and test out their website, email, landing page and course platform.
HONEYBOOK
Save $200 off this client management tool! Save hours with streamlined workflows and onboarding.
CONVERTKIT
The ultimate email platform for simplicity and deliverability.
SMARTERQUEUE
Save time by scheduling your social media in one place and extend the life of your content with evergreen scheduling.
EXPLORE THE BLOG
How to Find Your Ideal Client (For Real This Time)
HOW TO FIND YOUR IDEAL CLIENT (FOR REAL THIS TIME)
As an online entrepreneur it is important that you are creating super compelling messaging that attracts your ideal client online. I mean there are billions of people online so you REALLY need to stand out.
The very first step in creating that super compelling messaging is to know who you are talking to. So often I have clients come to me who are putting themselves out there online, emailing their list and doing trainings, but no one seems to be buying what they are offering.
It comes down to their ideal client and the fact that they just don't know who they are inside and out. If you plan on making money in your business, don't skip this step!
Honestly, I preach it because I made the mistake early on of not doing the market research, of not really digging deep and not being specific enough in the process.
So, today I wanted to share with you a web series video all about:
How to Find Your Ideal Client (For Real This Time)
No more guessing if your ideal client wants something or if your programs or messaging are on point - it's time to know for sure.
Michelle Knight is a Branding and Business coach for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to gain visibility and traction to take their business to the next level. She works with her clients to dive deep into their story so they can create a brand and message that positions them as an expert and allows them to create their desired income to free up time in their schedule for what matters most. Learn more >>
My Top Free Stock Photo Resources To Match Your Brand
MY TOP FREE STOCK PHOTO RESOURCES TO MATCH YOUR BRAND
You've probably noticed by now my branding is a little different from what you typically see in the industry. If, you are new here feel free to take a look around so you know what I mean!
Well, I struggled hardcore in finding stock photos in the beginning that would match my branding, so much so I just avoided it.
However, as I've grown, I've needed to rely on stock photos to create a cohesive look for my website, blog and social postings and that has led me to finding some truly kickass sites for getting stock photos.
In true fashion I wanted to pass along the information for you to incorporate into your own branding.
Disclaimer: The sites listed below are advertised as free sites, but please check to make sure for yourself and give credit to the photographers when necessary.
Pexels
Pexels offers a wide rage of photos, often very warm and rustic. There search bar makes it easy to type in keywords and find photos that easily relate to your brand or topic of choice.
Bucketlistly
For the entrepreneur who LOVES to travel this site is a must for truly beautiful adventure photos. You can even find photos specific to a certain location in the world - pretty cool!
http://photos.bucketlistly.com/
UNSPLASH
They have a very do whatever you want mentality for their photos which makes it easy to share on multiple platforms. Not to mention their photos are often ones you don't see used time and time again.
LITTLE VISUALS
Not only are the photos gorgeous, but the story behind this website and the creator makes you want to help spread the message. Although new photos are not added regularly, due to the unexpected passing of the photographer, it gives you the opportunity to share someones beautiful work and donate to a worthwhile cause.
Magdeleine
Magdeleine is an amazing resource for the well-branded entrepreneur because it allows you to choose photos that match a particular color palette - can you say jackpot?!
Raumrot
Raumrot gives you the opportunity to choose a category and then simply access a set of photos associated with that category - making it simple to put together photos that compliment your branding.
Michelle Knight is a Branding and Business coach for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to gain visibility and traction to take their business to the next level. She works with her clients to dive deep into their story so they can create a brand and message that positions them as an expert and allows them to create their desired income to free up time in their schedule for what matters most. Learn more >>
PART ONE: My Top Tools for My Business That Allow Me to Automate More and Work Less
PART ONE: MY TOP TOOLS FOR MY BUSINESS THAT ALLOW ME TO AUTOMATE MORE AND WORK LESS
I'm all about being able to work from wherever - in fact since launching my business I've been able to travel to Europe and California all while still being able to run my business from afar.
In fact location freedom is just the third part of the Freedom Trifecta (copyright coming soon ;)) When you have all these pieces: Time Freedom, Location Freedom and Financial Freedom, you are golden.
One of the key pieces to achieve location freedom is automation! When we were on vacation in California this past month, I was able to take coaching clients, but also know that my emails, blog posts and social postings were on automate and ready to get in the hands of my community.
So, today I'm sharing part one of my favorite automation tools with all of you.
**Disclaimer: I've marked the tools that I am an affiliate for with a little *, so I can be super transparent with all of you. However, I totally use these tools for my own business and love them, hence why I'm an affiliate.
Ok, now on to the tools!
17 hats* - New automation, invoicing, contracts, questionnaires and bookkeeping
I use 17 hats for multiple parts of my business, but hands down my favorites are bookkeeping and questionnaires. Bookkeeping has made my life super easy, because all my accounts a streamlined with 17hats, allowing me to just run a report at the end of the quarter to see profit and loss. I utilize the questionnaires for weekly check-ins with my clients AND to capture new leads and automatically add them to my database.
Zoom* - Client calls (both 1:1 and group), trainings and discover calls
Zoom is a multi-leveled tool for my business, but I absolutely love it for my coaching calls. You can set up a meeting in Zoom (whether one time or on a set schedule) and set the recording automatic for your meetings, cause I'm constantly forgetting. I also love it for webinars!
Buffer - Social media posting to private group, business page, personal accounts and Twitter
A no-brainer and a free option as well, but super important for automating social media. I love Buffer because it is easy, affordable if you want to upgrade and allows me to schedule my posts across all platforms, including my private community Authentic Brand Builders, giving me more time to engage in other groups on Facebook and increase my visibility.
Convertkit* - Email marketing, funnels and opt-in lead pages
When I started my business I used Mailchimp as my CRM and I recommend it to my new clients if they aren't ready to invest in their email marketing platform just yet. However, I switched over the Convertkit when I wanted a platform that allowed me more tools to tag my clients, automate my business and create landing pages. Rather than having to invest in a separate platform for capturing leads, Convertkit allows you to do it all in one space (and save some serious money in the process).
Ready for Part Two? Check it out HERE >>
Michelle Knight is a Branding and Business coach for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to gain visibility and traction to take their business to the next level. She works with her clients to dive deep into their story so they can create a brand and message that positions them as an expert and allows them to create their desired income to free up time in their schedule for what matters most. Learn more >>